REVERSIBLE ERROR (2004)

A well-made TV movie based on Scott Turow's novel about an attorney who is handed a death row case in the 11th hour and then discovers his client, a semi-retarded man accused of a triple homicide, is innocent. The film story is lengthy and complex but never boring. But engaging as the plot is, it's the characters and their relationships that keep us interested. The four main characters are totally different, non-stereotypical personalities: the inexperienced but overly ambitious prosecuting attorney (Monica Potter), the introverted and ethical defending attorney (William H. Macy), the erratic but well-intentioned ex-judge (Felicity Huffman, Macy's real-life wife), and the experienced, well-intentioned but not totally ethical cop (Tom Selleck). We get to know each character in depth as they interact each plot twist and with each other in a complex and evil web. (Trivia note: A reversible error in law is an error by the trier of law (judge) or the trier of fact (the jury or the judge if it is a bench trial), or malfeasance by one of the trying attorneys, which results in an unfair trial.)